God, come to my assistance.
 - Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
 -  as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

Amen.


HYMN

Lenten Hymns:
Lord Who Throughout These Forty Days
This Is Our Accepted Time
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
Attende Domine
Audi, Benigne Conditor
Iesu, Quadragenariae


PSALMODY

Antiphon 1: I cried to you Lord, and you healed me; I will praise you forever.

Psalm 30
Thanksgiving for deliverance from death
Christ, risen in glory, gives continual thanks to his Father. (Cassian)

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me
and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O Lord, I cried to you for help
and you, my God, have healed me.
O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,
restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,
give thanks to his holy name.
His anger lasts a moment; his favor all through life.
At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

I said to myself in my good fortune:
Nothing will ever disturb me.
Your favor had set me on a mountain fastness,
then you hid your face and I was put to confusion.

To you, Lord, I cried,
to my God I made appeal:
What profit would my death be, my going to the grave?
Can dust give you praise or proclaim your truth?

The Lord listened and had pity.
The Lord came to my help.
For me you have changed my mourning into dancing,
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.
So my soul sings psalms to you unceasingly.
O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

Psalm Prayer: God our Father, glorious in giving life. and even more glorious in restoring it, when his last night on earth came, your Son shed tears of blood, but dawn brought incomparable gladness. Do not turn away from us, or we shall fall back into dust, but rather turn our mourning into joy by raising us up with Christ.

Antiphon 1 I cried to you Lord, and you healed me; I will praise you forever.


Antiphon 2 The one who is sinless in the eyes of God is blessed indeed.

Psalm 32
They are happy whose sins are forgiven
David speaks of the happiness of the man who is holy in God's eyes not because of his own worth, but because God has justified him. (Romans 4:6)

Happy the man whose offense is forgiven,
whose sin is remitted.
O happy the man to whom the Lord
imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no guile.

I kept it secret and my frame was wasted.
I groaned all day long,
for night and day your hand was heavy upon me.
Indeed my strength was dried up
as by the summer's heat.

But now I have acknowledged my sins;
my guilt I did not hide.
I said: "I will confess
my offense to the Lord."
And you, Lord, have forgiven
the guilt of my sin.

So let every good man pray to you
in the time of need.
The floods of water may reach high
but him they shall not reach.
You are my hiding place, O Lord;
you save me from distress.
You surround me with cries of deliverance.

I will instruct you and teach you
the way you should go;
I will give you counsel
with my eye upon you.

Be not like horse and mule, unintelligent,
needing bridle and bit
else they will not approach you.
Many sorrows has the wicked
but he who trusts in the Lord,
loving mercy surrounds him.

Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord,
exult, you just!
O come, ring out your joy,
all you upright of heart.

Psalm Prayer: You desired, Lord, to keep from us your indignation and so did not spare Jesus Christ, who was wounded for our sins. We are your prodigal children, but confessing our sins we come back to you. Embrace us that we may rejoice in your mercy together with Christ your beloved Son.

Antiphon 2 The one who is sinless in the eyes of God is blessed indeed.


Antiphon 3 The Father has given Christ all honor, power and kingship; all people will obey him.

Canticle  -  Revelation 11:17-18; 12:10b-12a
The judgment of God

We praise you, the Lord God Almighty,
Who is and who was.
You have assumed your great power,
You have begun your reign.

The nations have raged in anger,
But then came your day of wrath
And the moment to judge the dead:
The time to reward your servants the prophets
And the holy ones who revere you,
The great and the small alike.

Now have salvation and power come,
The reign of our God and the authority
Of his Anointed One,
For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,
Who night and day accused them before God.

They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
And by the word of their testimony;
Love for life did not deter them from death.
So rejoice, you heavens,
And you that dwell therein! Glory...

Antiphon 3 The Father has given Christ all honor, power and kingship; all people will obey him.


READING           James 4:7-8,10
Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.


RESPONSORY
To you, O Lord, I make my prayer for mercy;  
- To you, O Lord, I make my prayer for mercy;
heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
- I make my prayer for mercy;
Glory to the Father to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
- To you, O Lord, I make my prayer for mercy.  


MAGNIFICAT (Canticle of Mary)
Antiphon: Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you.


INTERCESSIONS
Christ our Lord came among us as the light of the world, that we might walk in his light, and not in the darkness of death.  Let us praise him and cry out to him:

                        Let your word be a lamp to guide us.

God of mercy, help us today to grow in your likeness,
 - that we who sinned in Adam may rise again in Christ.

Let your word be a lamp to guide us,
 - that we may live the truth and grow always in your love.

Teach us to be faithful in seeking the common good for your sake,
 - that your light may shine on the whole human family by means of your Church.

Touch our hearts to seek your friendship more and more,
 - and to make amends for our sins against your wisdom and goodness.


Our Father...


COLLECT
Bestow on us, we pray, O Lord,
a spirit of always pondering on what is right
and of hastening to carry it out,
and, since without you we cannot exist,
may we be enabled to live according to your will.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.


May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.